2022 Lexus LQ

This story originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Car and Driver as part of our 25 Cars Worth Waiting For package. Our sneak preview of the most exciting cars coming in the next few years draws on knowledge from leaked product-development plans, spy photos, and loose-lipped insiders mixed in with information that has already been officially released. The reporting for this story was completed in February and early March, before the auto industry began feeling major effects of the coronavirus pandemic. As many automakers are now delaying or pausing development programs, the debut and on-sale dates reported here may change.

The top of the Lexus lineup has always been occupied by the stately LS sedan (and, more recently, the LC coupe). That may continue to be the case for the foreseeable future, but the brand is still lacking the modern, high-end SUV that virtually every other luxury vehicle maker has to offer affluent shoppers. The upcoming Lexus LQ, which will serve as a sleek range-topping crossover that will make the current LX SUV look positively archaic, should address that shortcoming.

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Previewed by the LF-1 Limitless concept (pictured) from a few years ago, the longitudinal-engine LQ should share key structural elements with the LS. It also should share its powertrains, including the LS's standard 416-hp twin-turbo V-6 and its optional 354-hp hybrid powertrain. An F performance model might even pack a twin-turbo V-8 good for 600-plus horsepower.

Lexus has cornered the market on highly rational luxury-car buyers. Drawing design cues from the sultry LC coupe, the LQ could also inspire lust in the kind of driver who buys a vehicle without first making a spreadsheet.

You'll have to wait a little bit for it to arrive, however. Despite no shortage of competition from Audi, BMW, Range Rover Mercedes, and Porsche, the LQ is still a couple years away from hitting Lexus showrooms, where it could command prices from $80,000 to nearly $100,000 for top models.

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